POY KALON SET

This is undoubtedly the city's most beautiful square, and certainly its most monumental. The Mir-i-Arab madrasa faces the immense Kalon mosque and its minaret. Numerous historical films have been shot here. Much frequented by tourists and pilgrims on their way to the mosque during the day, when evening comes, the atmosphere is particularly enchanting: you stroll along the esplanade, enjoying the night-time illuminations on all the surrounding buildings.

The Kalon minaret. Five times a day, four muezzins climbed the 105 steps of its interior staircase to call for prayer. Their voices could be heard over 8 km away, and the other minarets relayed the call over a radius of 16 km. Nicknamed the "Tower of Death", this minaret, built in 1127 by the Karakhanid Arslan Khan, was not only used to call the faithful. In the ^17th century, those condemned to death and other impure people were thrown from its summit. It also served as an observation point by day, and a beacon at night. Every evening, a basin filled with oil was lit in the center of the rotunda at its summit. This enabled caravans arriving from the desert to find their way, like ships approaching harbours. Genghis Khan, who quickly recognized its strategic importance, spared the minaret, while none of Bukhara's other monuments survived. 48 m high, with foundations sinking several metres into the ground, the edifice lives up to its name, kalon meaning "great". Slightly conical in shape, it is decorated with a succession of rings of fired bricks, each with a different geometric pattern. These bricks are said to have been made by mixing camel's milk and bull's blood! All this terrible beauty didn't stop General Frounze from firing cannons at the symbol of the holy city's power. Badly damaged, it was first restored in the 1930s. Then, in the 1970s, an earthquake as devastating as that of the Mongol leader caused it to lose its crowning glory. Restored by Unesco, since 2019 it has been equipped with night lighting that enhances every detail! Unfortunately, for security reasons, it is no longer possible to climb to the top to enjoy the splendid view of Bukhara and the madrasa domes.

Kalon Mosque. This immense jami mosque, the largest after Bibi Khanum, was rebuilt several times. It is said that the first mud-brick mosque was built in 713, probably on the site of a Buddhist or Zoroastrian temple, a symbolic appropriation common in this century of religious conquest. The mihrab of the Kalon mosque would have been located further east, at the level of the Ark. In the ^9th century, the 2-hectare mosque was rebuilt according to new plans. The numerous pillars supporting the structure were made of wood, a rare material that forced the surface area to be reduced to one hectare. It is said that a fire ravaged the church in the ^11th century, or that the collapsing minaret almost totally destroyed it. In any case, it was rebuilt in the ^12th century by Arslan khan and destroyed again when Genghis khan took over in 1220. In 1514, the chaybanid khan Abdullah khan had a new mosque built, whose dimensions (130 m by 80 m) corresponded to the "golden ratio"; in 1545, his successor had the mihrab decorated with mosaics.

The immense inner courtyard and 288-domed galleries could accommodate over 10,000 worshippers. The mosque has seven doors: one facing the sunrise, two facing the sunset and two on each of the side wings. In the right wing of the mosque, a deep well contained holy water, which was poured into a huge stone bowl to keep it fresh. Pilgrims made a vow as they drank it. In the center, a rotunda, with eight doors symbolizing the gates of paradise, was added by the last khan of Bukhara in memory of the martyrs who died during the destruction of the mosque by Genghis Khan. During the Soviet era, from 1924 to 1989, the mosque remained closed, before being converted into a warehouse and flour mill during the Second World War. Thanks to Unesco funding, the blue dome or Kok Goumbaz, dominating the mihrab, and its portal were restored.

Madrasa Mir-i-Arab. Built in 1535 by Sheikh Abdullah, Yemeni religious leader and spiritual guide to Ubaydullah Khan. The khan financed its construction through the sale of 3,000 Persian prisoners, Shiite Muslims who were considered infidels and sold into slavery. It comprises 111 cells distributed around the central courtyard, where two iwans serve as summer conference rooms. The study rooms (or darskaneh) are located in the eastern corners. During the Soviet era, this madrasa was the only one authorized to offer religious instruction in Central Asia. Today, it enjoys a considerable reputation, with a large number of students. It is closed to visitors. From the outside, its imposing appearance, with its high portal and two blue domes, echoes the Kok Goumbaz of the Kalon mosque. To the left of the main entrance is the funerary space, the gourkaneh, with the tombs of Sheikh Abdullah Mir-i-Arab and Mufassir (Qur'an commentator) Muhammad Kassim.